Kevin Duffy's top 10 UConn men's players

Published 1:00 am, Saturday, April 12, 2014

Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

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ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Shabazz Napier #13 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates on the court after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship at AT&T Stadium on April 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. less

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Shabazz Napier #13 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates on the court after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship at AT&T Stadium on April 7, ... more

Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

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ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Shabazz Napier #13 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates on the court after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship at AT&T Stadium on April 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. less

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Shabazz Napier #13 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates on the court after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship at AT&T Stadium on April 7, ... more

Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

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Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles past Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, April 9, 2014, in Washington. The Bobcats won 94-88 in overtime. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) less

Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles past Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, April 9, 2014, in Washington. The Bobcats won 94-88 ... more

Photo: Nick Wass, Associated Press

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Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 9, 2014, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 9, 2014, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

10. Khalid El-Amin, 1997-2000: The 5-foot-10 point guard scored UConn's final four points in the 1999 national championship game. He averaged 15.1 points and 4.4 assists over his three-year career.

9. Chris Smith, 1988-92: Bridgeport's finest is still the leading scorer in UConn's history (2,145 career points). He helped put Connecticut on the map, earning Most Outstanding Player in the 1990 Big East tournament.

8. Ben Gordon, 2001-04: Emeka Okafor was the more celebrated player, but Gordon was vital to the 2004 title run. He scored a then-record 80 points in three games at the Big East tournament (of course, the record was shattered seven years later when some 6-foot-1 guard won five games in five days).

7. Caron Butler, 2000-02: Butler was arguably the Big East's best player during his two seasons in Storrs. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 20.3 points and 7.5 boards as he led UConn to Big East regular-season and tournament titles in 2002.

6. Donyell Marshall, 1991-94: Marshall averaged 25.1 points as a junior -- the best single-season mark in program history -- en route to becoming Jim Calhoun's first All-American.

5. Richard Hamilton, 1996-99: The lead dog for the 1999 NCAA champions, Hamilton hit numerous big shots -- none more memorable than the buzzer-beating fade-away against Washington in the 1998 Sweet Sixteen -- and averaged 19.8 points for his career.

4. Ray Allen, 1993-96: Allen drilled 200 3-pointers in his final two seasons and the Huskies lost just eight games in that span. They ran into a juggernaut (UCLA) in his sophomore season, and fell one game shy of the Elite Eight despite Allen's 36 points.

3. Kemba Walker, 2008-11: As a junior, Walker averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists, statistically the best year in program history. Oh, he also willed the Huskies to 11 wins in 29 days, an unimaginable run that saw the entire team assume his refusal to lose. And don't forget: A 23-point performance against Missouri in the 2009 Elite Eight propelled Calhoun to his third Final Four.

2. Shabazz Napier, 2010-2014: I kept trying to justify Walker over Napier and just couldn't do it. Napier is the only star UConn player to win two titles. Although Walker carried the Huskies to the first, Napier played a significant role. And then he had a prolific junior season at a crucial time, carrying UConn through a postseason ban, and then this: An NCAA tournament run that somehow one-upped Walker's. Truth is, Napier won a national championship with a team that wasn't quite as talented as Walker's 2011 squad.

1. Emeka Okafor, 2001-04: The best player in the country in 2003-04, Okafor scored 17.6 points, pulled down 11.5 rebounds and swatted away 4.1 shot attempts per game. If he had stayed in college all four years and kept his pace, he'd hold the NCAA record for career blocks (Okafor blocked 441 in three seasons; Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado recorded 564 in four years).